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John F. Kennedy: Notepad and Pen with Handwritten Notes in His Hand. ...
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Description
John F. Kennedy: Notepad and Pen with Handwritten Notes in His Hand. One leather-bound memo pad and pencil, 4" x 7", no place; no date. A gift from actress Joan Crawford given to Senator Kennedy in 1956. At the time, Crawford's husband was Alfred Steele, the president of Pepsi-Cola. The inner flap of the leather binding features "PEPSI-COLA" stamped and gilt as well as a gilt six-sided mechanical pencil. The notepad includes fourteen pages of handwritten notes by the future president. Accompanied by a letter of provenance from Kennedy's personal secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, offering further contextualization.Kennedy used this memo pad for diverse purposes ranging from remembering his father's phone number to notes alluding to his potential nomination for the vice presidency in the 1956 election. The notes read, in part, "It is strange about the V.P. said Mr. Dooley - The P. is the highest office in the gift of the people. The V.P. is the next highest & the lowest. It's not a crime exactly. You can't be sent to jail for it but it's a kind of a disgrace. It's like writing anonymous letters. At a convention nearly all the delegates leave as soon as they've nominated the Pres. for fear one of them will be nominated for V.P...."
Lincoln writes, in part, "Kennedy made reference to the Vice Presidency in some of his speeches - generally in a humorous vein. Therefore, these handwritten notes quoting Finley Petter Dunn's 'Dooley on the Vice President' plus some of his own thoughts were later used in his speeches."
Throughout his 1956 speeches, Kennedy often referenced his potential bid as Vice President in a joking manner and relied heavily on journalist Finley Peter Dunn's essay "Dooley on the Vice President" to do so. Dunn created Martin J. Dooley as a fictional Irish immigrant bartender featured in several of Dunn's sketches for the Chicago Evening Post and the Chicago Journal.
Condition: Memo pad front cover is toned and stained with pencil notations. Otherwise well preserved.
Auction Info
2023 November 13 - 14 Americana & Political Signature Auction Signature® Auction #6276 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
November, 2023
13th-14th
Monday-Tuesday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 10
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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